Five Simple Money-Saving Kitchen Tips

I've been thinking about some of the little ways I'm saving energy and there are five items that we use that have become second nature. The best part is that they're also money-saving tips.

Wire Whisks - I've pretty much quit using my electric mixer. I've got a series of wire whisks that I just love and use almost all of the time. Different sizes and shapes. Great little tools.

I use whisks for beating batters, eggs, sauces & gravies. Just about anything that has to be mixed can be done as easily with a whisk as an electric mixer. Whisks combined with rubber scrapers and wooden (preferably bamboo) spoons are just as slick as can be.

Reusable Microwave Cover - I bought one of these in California while we were housesitting this past winter because I saw it at a shop and thought it was a great idea as an alternative to using wax paper or paper towels. It worked great. I gave it to Jen when we left but picked up another one when we got home. I love it. The microwave stays cleaner, the food heats up better and I just throw it in the dishwasher.

Reusable Refrigerator Bowl Covers - My very clever sister-in-law gave me some of these last year and I've saved a ton of money by not buying plastic wrap. They're plastic covers with elastic around the edge and they come in a bunch of different sizes. You do have to wash them but that's a small price to may, in my humble opinion.

I've seen a little wooden gadget made just for drying them - little posts attached to a base that you just hang the covers on while they're drying. I'm going to buy one of those.

Another alternative is to use waxed paper and a rubber band. I use rubber bands all the time, anyway. They're terrific for holding spaghetti boxes closed after you've opened them. Or bags of snacks...all kinds of uses for rubber bands.

Cloth Napkins - I don't remember the last time we purchased paper napkins for use at home. We've got lots of cloth napkins that we use every day. They're better than paper and you can just throw them in the laundry. I haven't any idea how much money we've saved using cloth napkins but I know it's significant. That's a no-brainer.

Real Dishes instead of Paper Plates & Cups - We don't buy paper plates or paper cups, either. I mostly use our everyday dishes even if we're eating on the deck but we do have a couple of sets of unbreakable dishes, too.

Sure, you have to wash them instead of just throwing them out but with dishwashers it's just not all that hard to do. You're always going to have a few things that have to be washed, anyway, and the dishwasher is much more efficient when it's full, so...another no-brainer.

That's it. Nothing too expensive or fancy involved. Just plain old common sense tools. If it was good enough for Grandma, it's good enough for me. What do you think?